Chapter 553:
“Hey, Joey, you—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Joey’s crying voice came through the line.
“What’s going on? The line never connects…”
Hearing that, I immediately grew anxious. Joey was heartless, and she wouldn’t cry like that unless something serious had happened.
“What happened, Joey?” I asked, my voice filled with worry.
“Bella, my mother is dying. I don’t know what to do. I need your help now…”
Joey’s voice was filled with helplessness and despair.
Hearing this, I suddenly stood up.
“Where are you now?”
“The hospital,” Joey replied, her voice trembling with sobs.
“I’ll be right there!”
I quickly hung up the phone and rushed out.
Bella’s POV:
By the time I arrived at the hospital, Joey’s mother had passed away. I held Joey, who was crying uncontrollably, and comforted her.
“Auntie has left. She must want you to live a good life.”
Joey clung to me and sobbed harder.
“Actually, my mother has been ill for so long, and I was mentally prepared. Maybe I knew one day she’d leave. But what’s truly devastating is my terrible brother. When my mother was alive, he never bothered to visit her. Now that she’s gone, I called him, and he said he didn’t have time and wanted me to handle the funeral on my own! He’s the worst brother in the world. My mother couldn’t even close her eyes until she saw him one last time…”
At this point, Joey’s tears kept flowing.
“God will punish him. Don’t let someone like him get to you. What matters now is arranging your mother’s funeral. You need to be strong, okay?” I comforted her.
“I know. Bella, please help me. My mind is all over the place. I don’t know what to do.”
Joey held my hand tightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here with you,” I said, nodding seriously. I meant it. The most urgent task at hand was helping Joey arrange her mother’s funeral. As for moving out of Klein’s house, that would have to wait. Luckily, I had Jane to take care of Lucky, so I had the time to support Joey.
Three days later, Joey and I took care of all the arrangements for her mother’s funeral.
Joey paid for everything—the medical bills, cremation, and burial—while her brother only shed a few insincere tears at the funeral. Afterward, as Joey and I were leaving, we were unexpectedly stopped by her hateful brother and his wife.
“What do you want to do?” I heard Joey ask weakly. Her voice had been hoarse for the past two days.
“What do I want? Is everything over after the funeral? Shouldn’t you tell me something?” Joey’s sister-in-law demanded, hands on her hips, like a madwoman.
“What’s there to say? Are you going to tell us how much we spent on the hospital bills and cremation? Are you going to pay for any of it?” I shouted at Joey’s brother and sister-in-law.
